USE AT YOUR OWN RISK
Location: Santa Barbara County, about 21 miles north-northwest of Ojai, 170 miles from Los Angeles
Maps
Auto Club | Santa Barbara County |
Forest Service | Los Padres National Forest: Mt Pinos, Ojai and Santa Barbara Ranger Districts |
USGS Topos | Cuyama Peak 7½, Rancho Nuevo Creek 7½ |
Official HPS Maps |
TPO file - Save to your computer then open with National Geographic TOPO! |
| Viewable JPG file - Approximately 3.4 megs |
| GPX file or Google Earth KML file to
download to GPS units and other map software (How to use GPX and KML files) |
| Routes as shown on
CalTopo using the above files (How to use CalTopo) |
Nearby Peaks: Cuyama Peak (LO)
ROUTE 2 - Rancho Nuevo Creek
(USFS Adventure Pass may be required)
- Distance: 16 miles round trip on trail and cross-country
- Gain: 2600'
- Time: 10 hours round trip
- Rating: Class 1, very strenuous
Original: Luella Martin
DRIVING ROUTE 2
- Drive north on I-5 past Gorman to the Frazier Park exit. Turn left (west).
- Drive west 7 miles to Lake of the Woods junction. Turn left (south) toward
Lockwood Valley.
- Drive 27 miles to the end of Lockwood Valley road at SR 33.
- Drive north 2.1 miles to Rancho Nuevo Camp Road (7N04) on the left
(west side of SR 33). High clearance vehicle is required to cross Cuyama River.
Note your odometer and go as follows:
- At 0.8 mile, fork. Go left.
- At 1.5 miles, Rancho Nuevo Campground. Park here.
Note: Ordinary vehicles should park near the gate (just west of SR 33). Parking
Here adds about 3 miles round trip and 1.5 hours to the hike.
If the gate is locked, this implies
that there is high water in Rancho Nuevo Creek and that the hike would be much
more difficult.
HIKING ROUTE 2
- From the campground (elev 3520') hike west up trail 24W03
about 5.5 miles to Upper Rancho Nuevo Campsite at
4040', which is at the end of the trail and is marked by a fire ring.
- From the camp, continue up the canyon about 1.4 miles
around three oxbow bends,
the first on the north side, the second on the south side, and the third
on the north side. Beware of the side canyon that comes in from the south
between the second and third oxbow bends: it is easy to mistake it for the
main canyon which goes southwest here.
- Continue up the main canyon to the broad flat
at 4200' elevation on the north side of the creek, SSE of bump 4772'.
- From here ascend the ridge on the west side of the flat area. Then
hike north up the ridge over bump 4772', passing a saddle at about 4700'.
Continue north along this steep ridge to its end at elev. 5280+'.
- Continue northwest ¼ mile to the summit, the bare summit block.
SPECIAL CONDITIONS, ROUTE 2
Route 2 description is based on a trip just after the 2007 Zaca fire, when hiking conditions were excellent.
The dominant vegetation along the Rancho Nuevo trail is wild roses which, if high and thick, can make
hiking miserable. The climb along the ridge is apt to be very brushy when the brush grows back after the fire.